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i
For Akutagawa, everything started (or rather, started again) when the girl arrived at the Agency’s office.
Given how things had ended back at the Port Mafia building, he sort of expected to see her again sooner or later, but he would have never imagined he would see her alone first. Not when all of their encounters had been with her at Nakajima’s side.
Things became clearer when she stated her reason to contact them, though, since she was precisely in search of Nakajima and even knew where to technically look despite needing help to locate the place in itself. She didn’t, still, elaborate on the circumstances that had ended up with them splitting up; it wasn’t an issue, either, because Ranpo wasn’t going to need any in order to help Kyôka out and everyone else simply chose to not inquire on it, Akutagawa included.
“I know I am in no position to ask for your help.” Izumi Kyôka had ended her explanations with. “But… I miss him.”
That was all there was needed, too, because it seemed like she had left the mafia once and for all and overall wasn’t posing as a threat to them. Besides, it soon became known how there were more reasons for granting the girl her wish than simply for the sake of it.
“Alright, you’ll get to know those.” Ranpo said, grinning in a way Akutagawa couldn’t quite yet understand. “Plus, it’s very likely you won’t go there alone.”
What?
The pieces of the small mystery Ranpo’s words had brought were swiftly put together as both him and Yosano shared a small string of whispers, then disappeared inside the president’s office after saying the Agency could take the ex-assassin’s request and mentioning how some of them accompanying her would also be a good idea.
“It makes sense, since it’d be irresponsible to have her unsupervised.” Kunikida lost no time in saying. If it was due to Kyôka being a former Port Mafia member, a fourteen year old girl or both, he didn’t say.
“Definitely.” Oda added, and knowing him, Akutagawa could confidently say the main reason in his case was her being a fourteen year old girl.
(After all, Akutagawa himself had been older than she currently was when Oda had deemed him as ‘the eldest’ when leaving him in charge of the kids he fostered-- also, as much he had grown to like those kids, the utter treason he had faced when being left alone with them that first time was something he would never forget.)
“Alright.” Kyôka simply said, still standing in front of Ranpo’s desk.
“I doubt we’re going to need many more volunteers, by the way.” Naomi then added, smirking. “I’d bet Yosano-sense wants to go, and if she does, Ranpo-san’s tagging along too.”
“Why?” Tanizaki asked shortly after, glancing at her like he could find out the answers that way.
“No idea.” Was the first thing Naomi answered with. “But she looks like she does, and she’s nervous, so it’s likely something very personal. And about Ranpo-san, since those two are a package deal…” After a shrug, she seemingly dropped the matter, at least temporarily.
Tanizaki didn’t inquire further, and neither did Akutagawa himself, who was letting the conversation become background noise by the second; he didn’t want to pry when it came to Yosano’s issues, because she would share what troubled her if that was her wish, and because depending on what the topic actually was, she might get scary if refusing to talk about it with people who didn’t know already. Besides, his mind was moving towards Nakajima instead.
For better or for worse, their fates had been tied together since the moment their abilities formed a singularity. Since that wretched man had pretty much appointed them as guardians of their entire reality. So, the time they had spent apart felt… odd, for the lack of a better word.
Yes, so far the only thing needed to do was keep the secret so the world they knew was kept safe, but still. Therefore, Akutagawa had no doubts about what he needed to do; staying in contact just in case something else happened made the most sense, and such a thing had been neglected for more than enough time.
(And, perhaps, there was something personal moving him too.)
In the end, the small group that were to pretty much escort Kyôka to the orphanage consisted of Akutagawa himself, plus Yosano and Ranpo just as Naomi had speculated it would be. And, speaking of Naomi, she had devoted herself to teasing him with everything she got up until both her and Tanizaki saw them off at the train station.
“Have fun, Akutagawa-kun!!” She had said last, grinning from ear to ear despite his grunts in response and all of Tanizaki’s attempts to try and get her to stop.
Needless to say, those had been futile.
“My reasons for going are nothing of the sort.” He stated, once the pair’s silhouettes started to shrink as their trip officially started. Of course, Naomi wouldn’t be able to hear him, and there was actually no need to justify anything to neither the girl nor his fellow detectives, but still.
A topic which got brought up rather quickly during the train ride was how they should perform a simple task before arriving: calling to announce their visit, for politeness sake. And ‘they’ actually meant it was Akutagawa who got appointed to do it, actually. Not like hadn’t seen that coming, too; Kyôka was no detective and her phone didn’t work anymore either, Yosano’s hands briefly trembled upon just the mere idea, and Ranpo was never the one to do those things.
So, of course it was going to be him. He didn’t mind much, anyway. After all, there were way worse things to be subjected to than a simple phone call, even the most awkward ones.
“Thanks.” Yosano said as Akutagawa dialed the number Ranpo was showing to him, with a tone so soft it was sort of striking given the circumstances.
“No problem.” Akutagawa merely replied, after which he pressed the call button.
All there was to do then was wait, and so everyone did. Kyôka lost no time in getting herself comfortable, so much he anticipated her falling asleep sooner rather than later. Ranpo motioned to rest his head over Yosano’s shoulder, and when their hands got linked together it barely took a heartbeat for her to look calmer. Meanwhile, Akutagawa kept the phone against his ear, ready for whenever someone on the other side of the line picked it up.
What he would have never expected, though, was the voice of the one he was embarking on that small trip for to be what greeted him.
And his heart rate spiked for quite the number of reasons.
“Hi?” Was the first thing Nakajima said, followed shortly by a sound that couldn’t be anything but him clearing his throat. “Sorry, I’m not usually the one to do this. Are you calling for a visit?”
Well, at least the tiger’s wording was going to make things easier.
“Precisely.” Akutagawa confirmed, and he could hear a small gasp that confirmed both had recognized the other. “We are set to arrive in around two hours, a group of four. Though three of us come from the Armed Detective Agency, this is no business matter per se, we are just accompanying a certain girl who wants to see you.” He had barely finished speaking when Kyôka, who had her eyes closed but was obviously not asleep yet, nodded in affirmation.
“Alright, and thanks for the heads up first. I’ll notify the headmaster.” Was he working there too, or he had just been the person closer to the phone when it rang? Perhaps he could ask when they properly reunited. If Nakajima wasn’t too busy welcoming the girl, that was.
However things unfolded, still, Akutagawa intended to have at least a small conversation regardless.
ii
For Atsushi, everything started (or rather, started again) when the phone rang and he was the closest one to pick it up swiftly.
Given how he had never intended to leave Kyôka permanently and had simply needed to clear his head, hearing she had been the first one to reach out and would be coming by was a good kind of surprise. Hearing no one other than that detective’s voice being the one delivering him the news, especially since it meant Kyôka wouldn’t be the only person he would be reuniting with again… that was more difficult to process, and even more so to categorize.
He never had anything against him, of course; all Atsushi had done, from setting foot at the café at the same building as the Armed Detective Agency’s office to fighting Akutagawa to what could have been death, everything had been under Dazai’s order and towards his secretive plans. In fact, he would be lying if he said the time the two of them shared enjoying their drinks and each other’s company had been one of the very few times (if not the only one) in almost his entire life when he had the chance to experience some semblance of normalcy-- for that brief period of time, Atsushi hadn’t been the White Reaper but just a boy.
Just a boy, chatting with another he had just met but shared the same childhood hardships as him, making the encounter promising.
Of course, the magic of the moment got broken soon, but still.
Then, when their abilities formed a singularity, Dazai fulfilled his plans by leaving them with an explanation and his death… There, his world had been turned upside down from a hundred angles, leaving him lost like never before.
But, even with that, a constant had remained: from then on, he and Akutagawa had been brought together by unbreakable forces. Whether they liked it or not.
Atsushi couldn’t say he regretted it, despite everything.
And so, when the group arrived… It was like something had taken his breath away for a moment.
Unable to process Akutagawa’s presence fully at first, he had focused on Kyôka.
“I… I shouldn’t have come here without waiting for you.” Was the way in which his apology took form, as he placed his hands over her shoulders, a gesture that came off as somewhat funny when the first thing they did upon reuniting was sharing a tight hug without a care in the world.
“It’s fine.” She reassured, wrapping her own hands around his wrists, something Atsushi knew she usually did to wordlessly say the gesture was welcome instead of as preamble to try and cut it short. “I had something to do before, too.” Kyôka then added, with a tone he had learned to recognize for what it was: both announcement and an ‘I would rather elaborate on it later’ he obviously meant to respect.
Besides, they now had all the time in the world and Atsushi had to address the elephant in the room that was Akutagawa’s presence there.
“And what brings you here, detective?” He asked, a bit after Kyôka and him let go of one another. The other two Agency members had approached him too, right after Elise (who had joined him in greeting the group) seemingly disengaged from the conversations for the time being after pretty much appointing him as their guide and offering the usual hospitality. She also seemed to have met the Agency’s doctor (Yosano) before, judging by both how she had addressed her and the reaction it had gotten.
It was strange, because she looked pretty much on edge, but something told him she had chosen willingly to be there and didn’t intend to leave just yet. Of course, her reasons weren’t something he got privy too until a bit later on.
“You, Nakajima.” Akutagawa simply replied and, despite knowing why he said so, Atsushi was by no means prepared for stopping his heart from skipping a beat.
Elise didn’t fully leave until playtime arrived, when she resumed her work by following both the kids and Mori; there was absolutely no way only one person could keep them from embracing utter chaos after hours sitting in class, after all.
And barely a few moments after, Atsushi was kind of alone with Akutagawa and Kyôka, since both Yosano and the Agency’s star detective (Ranpo) got purposely left behind by a corner as he still spoke to the only two listening people-- not like he minded the splitting, though, he was another orphanage resident not a tour guide even if he was somewhat trying to function as one for the time being.
Still…
“Should I--?” Atsushi started asking anyway, glancing at Akutagawa and pointing at the pair with a slight head tilt.
“Probably not.” Akutagawa simply replied, shrugging. “They look like they will be fine without us, too.” He wasn’t going to learn such a fact until way later on, but the worst case scenario was related to Ranpo and his less than optimal sense of direction…
… and, after the two exchanged a few whispers, Ranpo returned to the group while Yosano left in the same direction Elise had.
Since the choice was his, technically, Atsushi’s pick was waiting for Yosano to come back since it made more sense she would join the group back instead of going off on her own until it was time for the detectives to leave-- which was fine, in theory.
In practice, it also seemed like he was in charge of the conversation and that was harder than simply waiting.
“So…” He started out, or tried to. “Is there anything specific you’d like to do?”
Were he to end up as part of the orphanage’s staff in the future, whether near or far, Atsushi was more than sure he would either need tons of training or a job that didn’t include managing the kid’s entertainment. For obvious reasons. Luckily, his question did the trick by virtue of Ranpo jumping to answer it.
“Well, I’m hungry!!!” He lost no time in saying. “Is there somewhere we can get snacks nearby?”
Bless him, actually, because that was something he could work with.
“We’d have to go to the village, which isn’t far from here, but…” Atsushi shrugged, then offered him a smile. “It’s worth it, there’s a great store there.” Truth be told, there weren’t that many, but that specific one was famous among kids and adults all the same for a good reason. “And it’s a pretty walk to get there, too.”
“Hm.” Ranpo replied, as if he was processing the information received to prepare his judgement. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“It sounds good, yes.” Kyôka added as well, nodding with solemnity at the same time her eyes started gleaming. Of course she was interested too; she had always been a fan of sweets, and would never miss a chance to get her hands on some, even in her darkest moments.
“It does indeed.” Akutagawa chimed in, and Atsushi couldn’t help but be reminded once again of their conversation at the café before reality crashed on them.
It would be nice, getting to do something similar that had a good ending.
“Then it’s settled!” He replied, nodding and clapping softly. “I’m going to tell your doctor if she wants to join and then we can go.” While Atsushi said so, he could notice something strange in Ranpo’s gaze, but the detective didn’t make any comment, and thus he chose not to say anything either. Besides, and even if he didn’t really understand his expression, the tiger was bound to figure out what was off sooner rather than later, anyway.
When Atsushi reached Yosano’s side to invite her as well, he startled her. Which he could tell was more about her inner state than him, but still.
During the walk to both the village in general and the store in particular, a bunch of things became clear for Atsushi.
First, Ranpo wasn’t much of a fan of walking long distances and there was no doubt he was very excited about getting his hands on some sweets, because he didn’t hesitate on asking every now and then how long was it going to take for them to arrive. At least the stroll wasn’t that long.
Second, despite things being more on the awkward side between them, Akutagawa seemed to be making a point to always be by his side… and Atsushi couldn’t complain. Quite the opposite.
And third, Yosano looked like she was making a point of not interacting with him more than necessary. The reason, obviously, wasn’t privy to Atsushi.
The fact he had been not just a mafia member but quite a feared name, which was the most simple explanation, couldn’t be; despite how much sense it would make, being wary of someone with such a background, it didn’t take a long observation time to realize she didn’t have any problem with Kyôka, which overruled that possibility. Thus, Atsushi was pretty much out of ideas.
“Hm…” He started out, turning towards Akutagawa in the hopes he had an answer for him. “Do you know what’s troubling Yosano-sensei?” The question barely came out as a whisper, but there was no doubt it would be heard since both were standing close enough.
“No.” Was Akutagawa’s immediate answer.
Well, there they went all his chances to figure out via a third person; if he didn’t know, there was no way Kyôka would-- not to mention how Kyôka’s attention had been taken away by all the options the store had to offer in general, and the crêpes in particular. In fact, that apparently was the conversation topic between her and Ranpo, who was equally if not more enraptured than her.
(He wouldn’t have asked Ranpo anyway, even if he was less distracted.
Out of the three people remaining when ruling out Yosano herself, he was the one Atsushi was less acquainted with, and the closest to the doctor as well. So, there was a big chance he wouldn’t have told him.)
Therefore, there was only one way to know, and it was buckling up and asking her directly.
“You could have approached her first and foremost, you know.” Akutagawa greeted him with, once Atsushi returned to his side.
“True.” He couldn’t help but concede, shrugging. It would have been easier. Even if his conversation with Yosano wasn’t an exactly easy one either; as it turned out, her reason to visit the orphanage was a several years struggle with and because of Mori, for before becoming the Port Mafia boss who had preceded Dazai, he had taken part in the war, and essentially was to her what the previous headmaster had been to Atsushi himself. Even if for different reasons.
Quite the thing to learn, especially with all that entailed.
But, after a certainly loaded talk which included her wishing she would have gotten the current version of Mori as a child and him regretting how things had turned out to be with said previous headmaster for that man being dead didn’t bring him even an ounce of comfort… something had shifted in his dynamic with the doctor; maybe calling it a friendship would be a tad forward, but the change had been tangible anyway. Of course, there was all the time in the world to have it settle, even when everyone but Kyôka would leave at the end of the day.
But solving the logistics of that was something for later on. Atsushi’s focus, then, was now directed back towards Akutagawa.
“I would suggest resuming eating before the ice cream starts melting, by the way.” The detective told him, and Atsushi lowered his gaze to look at the crêpe he had picked before, now about half-eaten; instead of staying inside the establishment, since it wasn’t that big and Kyôka had mentioned not being a fan of the noise caused by the overlapping of several conversations from the people who were already sitting by the tables, the group had moved to a small park not far from there.
Plus, when approaching Yosano to address the metaphorical elephant in the room, both had agreed it would be better to discuss it in a calmer place, so…
The point was, Atsushi had been hungry enough to start nibbling at his crêpe on the way there, then it had become a secondary priority while said heavy conversation took place, and that was how he found himself like that. So, long story short, Akutagawa was right.
“True.” Atsushi couldn’t help but repeat. “You like yours, by the way?” He still asked, before biting into the crêpe.
“I do.” Akutagawa replied, nodding. “Though you know anything sweet is fine by me, especially after having had to struggle to get my hands on any back in the day.” As it seemed, little by little the awkwardness of meeting again was dissipating, and so they were on the way of regaining what had been between them on their first meeting before being aware of each other’s position and identity.
And damn if Atsushi didn’t cling to that.
“Yeah, same here. Still, you gotta have your preferences, right?” Just in terms of crêpes, Kyôka liked hers with strawberries no matter if she changed other items, Atsushi himself had discovered a fondness for cookie bits as toppings, and so on.
“In terms of crêpes, not really. In general, though, I would say fig tarts.” As Akutagawa replied, Atsushi made a point of storing such information in a corner of his mind where it wouldn’t get lost; perhaps, and just perhaps, he could surprise him somewhere in the future, no matter if near or far.
Then, before some time deliberating which he also used to keep eating, Atsushi went on asking the question he had wanted to know about the most:
“By the way, can I know why you came with Kyôka-chan and your fellow Agency members, detective?” Despite making a point of not sounding anything other than curious, Akutagawa fixed him a weird look nonetheless. Well. “I mean-- it’s not like I’m not glad to see you here and…” Wait. “Y’know. Just ‘You, Nakajima’ doesn’t begin to cover it and… y’know.” Funnily enough, or maybe not funny at all, Akutagawa still glanced at him, again with a strange look.
But that second time, it was a softer demeanor. At least for a second.
“Because of what that man said before plummeting towards his death, that is my reason.” He didn’t elaborate on it, because it wasn’t necessary (Atsushi had been there too, and knew everything which had happened) and because it would be safer not to (after all, their reality depended on no one else knowing, and even if no one was currently paying much attention to them, it was best to play safe).
“Yeah…” Atsushi simply said before letting out a small sigh. “Guess we’re sort of tied to each other, for better or for worse.” Though he wouldn’t say it was for worse, even despite everything.
He hoped Akutagawa was on the same page, too.
“I would have never expected this when I started searching for Gin, but I also guess there is very little to do besides trying to adapt.” Akutagawa then shrugged.
To be fair, there was another option, and Atsushi had no doubt both had thought about it: were the two of them to die, or one at least, the secret would end up safer than it currently was. But none of them seemed keen on neither giving up his life or trying to end the other’s. That meant how, yes, the only thing left to do was adapt and carry out the role Dazai had thrown them into.
But, at least for the time being, they could taste the moment. And the crêpes.
During the way back to the orphanage, since the hour for parting drew near, Kyôka expressed her wish to stay instead. Needless to say, Atsushi received the news with a smile and a theory.
“I bet Elise-san already has a room ready for you.” Hopefully, near his.
Such a thing didn’t change anything when it came to saying goodbye to the detectives at the train station, because she went with him too.
“You can come by anytime.” Atsushi said, politely to Ranpo, a bit more amicably glancing at Yosano… and awkwardly towards Akutagawa in a way that left very room for doubt about the reason. Sure, having what counted more as one-on-one conversations was one thing, and telling him that when everyone else was actually focused on them was another entirely.
Still, he managed to… well, manage.
“Aren’t you ever going out or what?” Ranpo asked, and when nothing changed in Akutagawa or Kyôka’s expression, it was crystal clear Yosano had to restrain herself in order not to laugh.
“Oh. I… dunno if showing up in Yokohama is a good idea in the short term… well, terms.” People would think twice to seek trouble when it came to the Port Mafia’s former White Reaper, no matter if they knew he had left the organization or not. But, at least for the time being, he would rather put some space between himself and the city, due to all that had occurred there. “But, yeah, there’s a lot more out there too.”
Who said they couldn’t meet in the middle, so to speak?
At least, he was optimistic. And, judging by the way in which Akutagawa nodded when he said that last part, he had no doubt that it could be doable.